Scores of persons want to adopt ‘miracle baby’

Yesterday, when news broke that a newborn baby was found abandoned in a market in downtown Kingston, THE STAR's phone lines were bombarded with calls from persons who wanted to adopt or foster the infant.

Among them was 38-year-old New York-based nurse Kedeisha Froyze-Whyte, who said she longs for a baby to call her own but is still childless after 13 miscarriages.

"It was kind of disturbing to see that God would grant someone an opportunity to have a child but at the same time she does not want that child and here I am praying for a baby. I don't think the mother thought about the welfare of the child because she could have left her at the hospital or even a police station. What if no one found the baby?" she said.

Reports from the Kingston West police are that about 7 p.m. on Monday, a homeless man saw the baby girl in the market and raised an alarm.

The police responded and the child was taken to the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

Whyte, whose husband works in construction, said she believes that they would be the perfect parents for the baby, and while she could seek to adopt a child from the US, she is particularly drawn to this infant.

"I would want a baby from my heritage. I have been through a lot and with my last pregnancy, I went through a life and death situation where my heart stopped beating. My doctor suggested that I should try adoption or a surrogate. This baby is so beautiful and I already have baby clothes. This would just be a new life for us. A baby is what is needed to make our family complete," Whyte said.

Karla Jankee, executive director of events at Downsound Records, said while they are yearning to be the foster family for the infant, there is a couple overseas who is very much interested in adopting the baby.

Baby girl to be in the system

"We really do not want this baby girl to be in the system for Christmas until the couple comes in late December to start the process. I am the mother of two boys including a toddler, so she would stay with me at home and everyone from the Downsound family, including (CEO) Joe (Bogdanovich) and (producer) Skatta (Burrell) would take care of her," she said.

Jankee said the interested family is very "well off" and they have been trying to adopt for a while.

Rochelle Dixon, public relations and communications manager at the Child Protection and Family Services Agency, said the agency has also received numerous queries from persons who are interested in giving the baby girl a home. She, however, stated that the process isn't that simple.

"We have to first do our due diligence to first see if we can get some additional information from the public as it relates to locating the mother or family member. If nobody comes forward and all checks and balances are done then we will explore if the child will be placed into adoption," she said, noting that some persons have been on the adoption waiting list for as much as 10 years. " So the preference would be given to the next person in line."

Anyone with information about the baby's mother is being asked to call the Denham Town police at 876-922-6441 or 876-948-6443, police 119 emergency number or the nearest police station.